After Cutting Off Love And Emotions, I Was Pestered By The Demon Sect’s Enchantress - Chapter 46

The familiar, delicate fragrance filled her senses as Ning Xu gradually regained consciousness, finding herself still in Zhu Shengxi’s bed.

She sat up, the quilts sliding down with her movement. Lowering her gaze slightly, she could see the ambiguous red marks scattered across her skin.

Memories of last night became vivid at this moment, causing an uncontrollable heat to flush Ning Xu’s face. Shifting her gaze, she noticed a set of clothes placed at the head of the bed.

She picked up the garments and suddenly realized that the Demon-Binding Rope had been removed at some point. The bloodied marks on her wrists had also mostly faded.

Ning Xu instinctively reached for her chest; fortunately, the white jade pendant hanging there was still present.

Stepping around the screen, she caught sight of that familiar figure before the writing desk, feeling somewhat surprised.

“Awake?”

Zhu Shengxi’s expression was indifferent. In her hand, she still held the ancient manual she hadn’t finished reading the previous night.

Ning Xu gave a soft “mm” in response, her gaze falling upon the ancient book.

Zhu Shengxi quickly sensed that look and closed the book without a word.

Was this action another sign of being on guard against her?

Ning Xu felt a chill in her heart, falling into a rare, downcast silence.

After a long while, seeing that she was still standing there like a statue, Zhu Shengxi asked tonelessly, “What are you standing there for?”

Receiving no answer, Zhu Shengxi looked over in confusion and discovered Ning Xu was holding something.

The handkerchief in her hand was slowly unfolded, revealing a jade hairpin.

It was a jade hairpin identical to the one in her memories. Zhu Shengxi pursed her lips, her hand resting on the desk, tightening involuntarily.

“That shop went out of business. I searched for a long time afterward before I finally found an identical jade hairpin.”

Seeing her expression gradually turn cold, Ning Xu’s heart tightened. Then, she heard the person before her say chillingly:

“Stop doing these meaningless things.”

Ning Xu remained silent for a moment but still placed the jade hairpin on the desk.

“Take it away.”

“Why?”

Ning Xu’s lips trembled slightly, and even her words carried a hint of a tremor:

“Sheng-sheng, let us reconcile. I won’t leave again, nor will I hide anything from you anymore.”

Zhu Shengxi looked at her reddened eyes and lowered her gaze without speaking.

Seeing this, a flash of panic crossed Ning Xu’s face. After a moment of hesitation, she knelt halfway before Zhu Shengxi, leaning down to kiss her gently.

Kiss after kiss traveled from the wrist to the fingertips, carrying an undisguised intent to please.

Zhu Shengxi frowned, grabbed Ning Xu’s wrist, and pulled upward, forcing her to stand straight.

“You need not do this.”

Ning Xu looked at her, a shadow of pain rising in her eyes.

“Sheng-sheng…”

Zhu Shengxi shifted her gaze elsewhere, her tone indifferent. “You should have noticed by now—I have taken back the Demon-Binding Rope. You are free to stay or go as you wish.”

What a “free to stay or go.”

Ning Xu stared intently at her, saying word by word:

“I will not leave.”

“That is fine as well,” Zhu Shengxi placed the ancient book back in its original spot, her tone calm. “However, the Bond-Covenant Ceremony is in one month. It would be, after all, somewhat inconvenient for you to remain here.”

Upon hearing this, Ning Xu’s face turned pale. She asked with a shaking voice, “You still intend to enter a bond with Ji Yanshu?”

Zhu Shengxi nodded. “All the sects and factions are already aware. It cannot be canceled at the last minute.”

“Then what did… last night count for?” A faint anger rose in Ning Xu’s eyes as she practically forced the words out.

They were clearly intimate just last night. She didn’t ask for Zhu Shengxi to love her again immediately, but she hadn’t expected that Zhu Shengxi still planned to bond with Ji Yanshu.

She didn’t love Ji Yanshu at all, so why proceed with the bond?

At the thought of Zhu Shengxi potentially doing these intimate things with someone else, various emotions surged like a gale, threatening to tear her heart apart. Her logic was on the brink of collapse, yet she was utterly powerless to stop it.

Ning Xu’s face was icy as she stared at her without blinking. Zhu Shengxi noticed her abnormal emotions but remained unbothered.

It had been like this several times before; she would stand aside doing nothing, sulking by herself, only to automatically calm down after a while.

Zhu Shengxi walked straight past her. She had delayed far too long today, and there were several hidden dangers in the secret realm that she needed to resolve personally.

Before she could even reach the door, her wrist was gripped tightly. In the next moment, she was pressed against the door.

Zhu Shengxi furrowed her brows deeply. Before she could push the other away, soft lips arrived first.

It was a somewhat brutish kiss; a hint of stinging pain came from her lips. Zhu Shengxi was stunned for a moment, then pressed against the other’s shoulders and pushed her away with force.

Ning Xu stumbled back a few steps, looking at her with a hurt expression.

Zhu Shengxi raised her eyes slightly. Upon seeing the expression on the person before her, she couldn’t help but frown.

With the corners of her eyes flushed red, she looked extremely aggrieved—even though she was the one who had forced herself upon her, it looked as if she were the one being bullied.

Zhu Shengxi looked away, hesitating to speak.

“You…”

“Sheng-sheng, if you’re unwilling to state the real reason for the bond, fine—then I will say it. Whatever Ji Yanshu can do for you, I can do as well. If it’s just for use, then use me instead.” Ning Xu gazed at her intently, her voice trembling slightly.

Zhu Shengxi sighed in her heart, though her voice remained cold. “She is a disciple of the Three Great Immortal Sects. Are you?”

The insurmountable gap was placed openly on the table at this moment. Ning Xu lowered her eyes and couldn’t help but smile bitterly.

Based solely on status, she could hardly compare to Ji Yanshu.

Her solemn words from a moment ago were completely negated by this single counter-question. Their opposing identities were a boundary between them that could never be crossed.

Seeing the wooden expression on the person before her, Zhu Shengxi sighed soundlessly. Just as she was about to speak, there was a sudden knock on the wooden door.

“Junior Sister, I’ve come to fetch the silver needles for clearing the meridians.”

It was Chu Yu’s voice. While answering “Alright,” Zhu Shengxi pushed Ning Xu behind the screen.

“Don’t come out, and don’t speak.”

Seeing her actions, Ning Xu’s eyes were filled with confusion. She was about to ask something when she realized a Silence Curse had been placed on her, rendering her unable to make a sound.

Ning Xu widened her eyes slightly, grabbing her sleeve to signal her to undo the curse.

Zhu Shengxi had no time to pay attention to her now. She pulled the other’s hand away, then walked slowly to the door and opened it unhurriedly.

Chu Yu’s delicate face appeared before her. She curled her lips into a smile and said, “What took you so long to open the door?”

Zhu Shengxi stepped aside halfway, saying calmly, “I was delayed by some matters just now.”

“A few apprentices at Zhaoxia Peak have stagnant meridians and need silver needles to clear them. I forgot the needles at your place last time.”

A simple explanation clarified the reason.

Zhu Shengxi nodded and carefully searched the writing desk, but didn’t see the set of silver needles.

Strange, she clearly…

Seeing her unusual expression, Chu Yu asked, “What is it, Junior Sister?”

“Nothing.” Zhu Shengxi remained composed on the surface while her mind raced.

Where were those silver needles placed? It seemed… she glanced toward the screen. They seemed to be on the wooden chair behind the screen.

She had been in such a hurry to settle Ning Xu just now that she hadn’t noticed, and naturally hadn’t thought to bring the needles out with her.

Seeing Zhu Shengxi frozen in place, Chu Yu grew even more suspicious. “Is Junior Sister feeling unwell?”

Zhu Shengxi looked up at her and found an excuse: “Apologies, Senior Sister, I lost that set of silver needles earlier.” As she spoke, she took a wooden box from her storage pouch.

“I have another set in my pouch; use this one for now.”

Chu Yu’s gaze scanned her face as she took the needles. With a half-smile, she said, “Junior Sister, I recall you never use lip rouge.”

Zhu Shengxi didn’t understand why she suddenly mentioned this, but nodded slightly. “Correct.”

Hearing the affirmative answer, Chu Yu’s expression became even stranger. She asked, “Then, what is the matter with your lips?”

Zhu Shengxi was stunned for a second and picked up the bronze mirror on the table.

Her lip color was deep red, and the lips themselves seemed somewhat swollen.

She took a deep breath and flipped the mirror face down on the desk.

It was all that person’s doing.

The person before her didn’t respond for a long time. Seeing this, Chu Yu joked with a smile, “Junior Sister looks so nervous. Could it be a case of ‘hiding a beauty in a golden house’?”

Upon hearing this, Zhu Shengxi’s heart jumped. She immediately denied it: “No.”

Her voice was a bit loud. Simultaneously, a noise came from behind the screen.

Both their gazes landed on the screen at the same time. Zhu Shengxi instinctively clenched her hand, while Chu Yu looked at her suspiciously.

“Senior Sister, I’ve often seen stray cats in the back mountain lately. The noise just now was likely a cat knocking something over,” Zhu Shengxi took the initiative to explain.

Chu Yu stared at her for several seconds before suddenly laughing softly. “Junior Sister, do you know that the moment you get nervous, you start talking more?” Having said that, she ignored Zhu Shengxi’s reaction and walked toward the screen.

Just as her hand touched the edge of the screen, the communication talisman hanging at her waist suddenly “dinged.”

Chu Yu had no choice but to stop. She activated the talisman, and a voice urging her back to Zhaoxia Peak rang out.

“Senior Sister Chu, the injured sisters have fallen unconscious. Please hurry back to Zhaoxia Peak to take a look.”

Her brows furrowed slightly. She withdrew her hand, took the box of silver needles, and turned to leave. As she passed Zhu Shengxi, she gave an ambiguous warning: “Let the stray cat go back soon. Don’t let the Eldest Senior Sister find out; she dislikes things of unknown origin the most.”

Zhu Shengxi remained silent. After the person left, she closed the door and went behind the screen.

Ning Xu couldn’t hide the smile on her face in time. Zhu Shengxi looked at her coldly and performed a gesture to undo the Silence Curse.

As soon as she could speak, Ning Xu immediately leaned toward her, suppressing a laugh. “I was wondering why you didn’t use the front gate before and insisted on taking the path through the back mountain. It turns out you were helping me hide my tracks.”

“You’re overthinking it,” Zhu Shengxi walked to the desk and denied it tonelessly. “You heard it just now. My Senior Sister wants you to leave as soon as possible.”

Ning Xu followed behind her, resting her chin in her hands as she looked at her with a beaming smile. “But I’m not a stray cat. I’m a house cat that someone is keeping.”

Zhu Shengxi’s movements paused. She couldn’t help but shoot her a sideways glare. “Speak properly.”

Hearing this, Ning Xu straightened her posture and said seriously, “I won’t leave, Sheng-sheng. I’m going to wait for you to change your mind.”

Faced with these somewhat sappy words, Zhu Shengxi didn’t answer and began to write with her brush.

Seeing this, Ning Xu stopped disturbing her and walked to the side.

Zhu Shengxi had brought her back to the sect but hadn’t told anyone of her whereabouts, helping her hide instead. At the thought of this, Ning Xu’s heart was filled with boundless joy.

She still cares about me. Ning Xu thought about it over and over in her heart, unable to stop confirming this point, with an unconscious smile hanging on her lips.

Zhu Shengxi glanced over intentionally or unintentionally and happened to see the soft smile on Ning Xu’s lips.

She had looked so aggrieved just moments ago, yet now she was smiling again just because of one small action.

The brush tip paused, blooming a stain of ink on the paper. The determined words from that person earlier surfaced in her mind. Zhu Shengxi withdrew her gaze, her heart a mess of complicated thoughts.